Stories from transformative holidays, plus 8 holistic retreats for you to book

Nicola Moulton share stories from sanctuaries you can check in to that go far deeper than being a comfortable place to lay your head

Barely a day goes by now without someone telling you to buy this/watch that/use an amazing new miracle cream, and adding for dramatic emphasis: “It will change your life.” And more often than not, barring slight improvements, life goes on very much as usual. Because honestly, how often do we experience real, radical shifts in our lives? When was the last time you really shook things up? And as life gets faster, the moments for reflection become fewer – meaning whole years can slip by with you barely even noticing.

Holidays have traditionally been a chance to press the pause button and return home with renewed good intentions, but now some of the more serious destination spas are taking this idea to a whole new level. Wellness retreats are the new holiday choice for overworked, overachieving urbanites. Distinct from spas, they aim to take a more reflective, longer-term approach to your physical and mental well-being. Instead of you just coming back glowing and a few kilos lighter, their programmes often allow you to embrace change not just with your body but in the rest of your life, too.

Two years ago, Sarah Davies, 41, went to Kamalaya (doubles from AED 826; 0066-7742 9800, kamalaya.com), a beautiful spa and wellness retreat surrounded by the beaches and coconut trees of Koh Samui in Thailand. She runs a successful marketing firm, but work was stressful and her six-year marriage was unhappy. “I booked it after a bad day at work. I’d got home so stressed, I’d been sick,” she says. “Two weeks later, I was on the plane.”

TREATMENT ROOM AT KAMALAYA

A friend who had recently visited for a detox had recommended Kamalaya, and raved about the quality of the practitioners and the beauty of the surroundings. Davies describes herself as an unlikely candidate for the cymbal-clanging and panpipe-playing of traditional spa retreats. “When I got there, I thought, ‘This is so not me.’ There were Buddhas everywhere, and it seemed very touchy-feely. I’m much more results-driven. I signed up for the weight-loss programme because it seemed the most goal-oriented. But the first thing they asked me was, ‘Why do you want to lose weight?’, and my whole story just came tumbling out.”

What happens next is a programme of treatments set for you by a naturopath. You have at least one “therapy” a day – be it nutrition, acupuncture or reiki – and then some more traditional “well-being” treatments, such as massages. Most guests have two or three treatments planned per day. It’s a fairly big operation: there are 320 staff members, of whom 100 are dedicated to wellness. And not everyone comes for the healing; some people are just there to enjoy the beach. But there’s certainly an emphasis on stepping off the train: mobile-phone use is limited to rooms, and free Wi-Fi is rationed to 20 minutes a day, aiming to make guests question its necessity before they log on. Oh, and it’s definitely not child-friendly. But everyone who’s been says the place has a certain something that makes it unique. “The Thai people are very special,” offers Karina Stewart, the Princeton-educated doctor of Chinese medicine who founded the retreat with her husband in 2005. “Their EQ is very high, and the enthusiasm we have for change here is infectious.”

During her nutritional consultation, Davies explained that she’d been on medication for colitis for 10 years. “‘Your gut is rotten,’ they told me. ‘And because of that, you’ve lost the ability to have a gut instinct. When you heal it, you’ll be better able to take control of other things, too.’ It really struck a chord with me because I’m famous for dithering, constantly changing my mind about things. By the time I went home, it was just like the saying goes – I knew in my gut what I had to do.” And 10 days after she’d left, she went home and told her husband their marriage was over. “When I boarded the plane to come home, I was not the same person. I looked better. I felt better. I had resolve. I suddenly just knew what I had to do when I got home. I ordered a glass of French bubbles, and it was like toasting my new life.”

Katie Percival believes her visit to the resort paved the way for her to have a baby. “When I went there, I had recently suffered a miscarriage and was still quite fragile. I was looking for something to help me through, to give me both optimism and coping mechanisms, and I found everything there. Not in a cultish way – it’s just very peaceful. I did a tailor-made Emotional Balance programme and especially loved my mentoring sessions and reiki. At the time, I saw all that holistic stuff as secondary to what, in my mind, was just a relaxing holiday with my husband. We spent our days on the beach and our evenings having quiet dinners, not really getting involved with the wellness talks on offer. But looking back, it was the combination of total relaxation with the time and space to gently explore what I wanted from life that set it apart from a normal holiday. I really do think it shifted my mindset, and that’s what changed everything within my body.”

GOLDEN DOOR, CALIFORNIA

There are many such retreats, which combine time away from home with a gentle nudge toward new life decisions. Vana (doubles from AED 18,235 for minimum seven-night stay; 0091-13-5391 1114, vana.co.in) in India is an ashram and wellness retreat. You start every day with yoga in a hut at the edge of a forest, and return there at the end of the day to reflect on the changes within yourself. At Golden Door (from AED 32,500 per person for minimum seven-day stay; 001-760-744 5777, goldendoor.com) in California, mindfulness and improvement sessions are offered alongside the personal training and daily massages.

HEALTHY CUISINE AT GOLDEN DOOR

Sophie Barrett, 34, went to Kamalaya as a guest and ended up staying for two years. She had been working in London as a PR for a big jewellery company, and was “feeling the effects of stress”. Having moved to Thailand, she ended up working as Kamalaya’s in-house PR. Now, since moving back to London, she is retraining as an herbal practitioner. “Moving there taught me that you can’t expect the retreat to do all the work,” she says. “If you really want to change your life, you have to put some effort in, too.” As well as changing her career path, the experience also made Barrett realise she was happier in the countryside. Although still based in London, she has moved flats to overlook green space. “Nature is very much part of the experience at Kamalaya. They have trees growing right into your villa and there are snakes slithering around.”

Detractors of these kinds of places worry that without proper qualifications, the therapists you encounter are in danger of delving into psychological issues without equipping people with the necessary tools to manage their re-entry into their regular life. Stewart is emphatic that that’s not what the place is about. “I firmly believe in psychoanalysis,” she says, “but we are not trained, nor do we have the time to do that. Ours is not therapy in a traditional sense.” But with these kinds of retreats becoming more popular, the line between physical and mental therapies is becoming blurred, and it’s something that the founder of ESPA and spa industry leader Susan Harmsworth believes the industry needs to consider. “Increasingly, there will be spas for escapism and spas where you go for something more serious, and I think you can’t mix the two. But it is difficult to separate the physical from the emotional. In a good spa, with holistic therapists, something like 25 per cent of clients cry or have an emotional release of some kind, even just having a massage.”

Lynne Franks, a PR-turned-wellness-guru who has been developing transformational retreats for the past 16 years, says removing yourself from the everyday is the only way to get real perspective. “There’s so much power in being away from home,” she says. “You don’t have your baggage or need to worry about anything. Food is on the table, you can completely relax in a healthy way. I think more women will spend their holidays like this. People don’t want to lie on a beach any more.”

3. VivamayrFollowing the modern Mayr medical principle – good health stems from a healthy gut – individual dietary meals and therapy programmes are the focus. With two Austrian locations, each overlooking peaceful lakes, guests can try detox sessions with natural products comprising algae and healing muds, and fitness sports such as rowing, swimming, skiing and cycling.Basic programme from AED 752 per person per night; 0043-4-2733 1117, vivamayr.com

4. Grand Resort Bad RagazUsing the healing waters of the nearby Tamina Gorge, this long-acclaimed resort in eastern Switzerland offers everything from therapeutic services in a full-service spa to an on-site sports clinic and a comprehensive medical centre. The “Heidiland” surroundings are therapeutic in themselves, with options to go hiking, cross-country skiing and more.Two-night programmes from AED 1,670 per person per night in a double room; 0041-8-1303 3030, resortragaz.ch

POOL IN GRAND RESORT BAD RAGAS

5. Rancho La PuertaWithin a 4,000-acre nature preserve in Baja California, Mexico, this ranch combines healthy organic meals with meditation and artistic workshops to stimulate the mind. Acupuncture and chiropractic treatments are available, while the spa uses aromatic and medicinal plants for therapies and fitness is encouraged through yoga, sports and nature hikes.One-week packages from AED 13,590 per person based on double occupancy; 001-858-764 5500, rancholapuerta.com

7. The Farm at San BenitoHolistic treatments centring on ancient healing traditions using modern technology are adopted at this idyllic retreat two hours south of Manila, in the Philippines. Three specialised sanctuaries offer hydrotherapy, holistic programmes and healing, complemented by organic vegetarian cuisine.Two-night retreats from AED 2,940 per person based on double occupancy; 0063-91-8884 8078, thefarmatsanbenito.com

8. SHA Wellness ClinicAchieving an inner balance through dietary and regenerative treatments that improve the circulatory system is the core of a stay here. Hydrotherapy, weight loss, anti-stress and sleep-recovery programmes, including cognitive therapy to control Alzheimer’s, are undertaken in this Spanish clinical retreat along the Mediterranean Sea. Four-day programmes from AED 5,500 per person, suites from AED 1,650 per night; 0034-9-6681 1199, shawellnessclinic.com